Ohh
Seconds, hours, so many days,
You know what you want but how long can you wait,
Every moment lasts forever,
When you feel you've lost your way,
What if my chances were already gone?
I started believing that I could be wrong,
But you gave me one good reason,
To fight and never walk away,
So here I am still holding on.
No Boundaries – Adam Lambert cover.
Bella
Oh dear, the time has arrived; the time and moment I have been dreading, but also looking forward to (in a strange way) since the day Draco was born. Hell, since the day I read the results on the pregnancy test. I guess, as soon as it's all said and done for, I can relax. I just wonder how many tantrums and paper towels we will go through. Toilet training an often disobedient child is going to be interesting. But it has to be done unless I want him to be still in diapers when he goes to school.
The baby book I was following had advised you to ask your mother or friend for help if this is your first time and they had been through it before. Seeing as I don't know any friends with children and Renee hasn't contacted me in years, I skipped that part out. Charlie has tried to get me to send my mother regular updates on her only grandson, but as soon as I told her I was pregnant, she stopped emailing and phoning. Of course I sent her a card which told her I had had a boy, his full name, date of birth and all the rest, but I never heard anything back, so why bother my time when she doesn't put in any effort?
Not the point, Edward and I will be just fine, even though he's been working a lot recently, we will get this sorted and we'll deal with Draco's refusals and anything else he may bring along. We just have to be patient and firm. Our creative side was put to the test last night when we made his reward chart – every time he uses the potty properly, he'll get a sticker. Twenty stickers and he will get a treat. Edward was adamant about calling it 'Poop and Pee with Draco C', but I got him to see that 'Draco's Potty Chart' sounded better.
In Target, Draco seemed attached to a 'Cars' potty which became a toilet safety seat in the later days. I also liked the look of the one that had a slot for wipes and a toilet paper holder, but that would be fifty dollars just on those two and I simply couldn't afford that right now. Slipping money from my savings isn't something I liked doing, but I felt guilty getting Edward to pay for most things.
"Which one do you like more?" I held up a set of animal stickers and a set of car stickers. Draco looked from me, to them and back to me again. "Do you like these ones?" I shook the animal pack. He only chuckles and clapped his hands excitedly – he hasn't been talking much today. He reacted the same way for the cars, so I just decided to get both – one can never have too many stickers.
I only came into the store for a potty and stickers, but left with a whole new outfit for my boy – I can't help but treat him to things. It included a pair of jeans shorts and khaki shorts with little black skull and cross bones all over them, a red tee with 'Where's Waldo' on the front that said 'Dude! I'm right here!' in black capitals. I also bought a pair of black, well gripped, lace-up boots. What? They were reduced from twenty dollars to nine-ninety-eight. I left the store before I could do any more damage to my bank balance.
xxx
I had the potty all set up and sitting in front of Draco and myself. I sat in silence, not making any movements towards it. Draco, on the other hand, stood to his feet and gingerly walked up to the odd looking contraption. He enjoying slamming down the lid and repeating the motion. Once he lost interest, I took over in helping him understand what it was for. Picking him up under his arms, I sat him on the potty.
"When you need to go pee-pee, you sit here and do it. You don't go pee-pee in your diaper anymore."
I decided to see whether he was wet or dry, and found a dry diaper. So I took off his trouser and diaper and sat him on the potty. I couldn't tell you how long we sat there for, but whenever he sat still and tensed his face, I checked to see if he had done anything. I never found a… present waiting for me. Draco couldn't stand sitting there any longer, so ran off to play in his toy area. Not five minutes after he did that, he stood up and began to whinge. I thought it could have been due to the fact that he was half naked, but no, after the short rounding of whinging, I swore silently as he instantly peed all over the floor. I really need a lot of patience for this. I guess I should just be thankful it was only a pee.
xxx
The potty training has begun, but of course it won't happen over-night, so I wanted to try something else, I was interested in seeing how well Draco could pronounce his full name. With the right amount of teaching, children could learn any word, so let's start from the beginning. Also, imagine Edward's face if he comes home to hear his son saying 'Cullen'. It's got to pull at your heart strings a bit, eh?
Macaroni cheese and tomatoes was on the lunch menu for today, sitting at the table was the best time to put my plan to motion. But first, I had the privilege in watching Draco eat a bowl of messy, cheesy pasta. He literally chucks the spoon to the floor, takes a handful of macaroni and splats it against his mouth – ten points if he manages to eat any. He then decided that eating is easier when the food is on the tray table and not in the bowl, the cheese sauce was spread over every surface he could reach.
I started once I had cleaned up all the mess. "Can you say 'Draco'?"
"Drrrrah-co."
"Dray-co." He took a long sip from his cup. "Dray. Co. Can you say Dray-co?"
"Mmmmummy!"
I had to laugh at his cuteness. "Yes, I am mummy, but what is your name?"
"DrrrAH-coooo."
"Dr-ay-co." I pronounced each part clearly for him to hopefully copy.
"…Ay-co!"
That was the closest so far. "Clever boy! Now add a 'dr' in front. Dr-ay-co, Drrraco."
"Dr…ay-co!"
Oh I felt so proud. I pronounced his name several more times, but he kept saying it the same way, so I tried his surname. "Now, this one is a bit trickier. Can you say 'Cullen'? Cul-lennn."
"…L'nnn…"
I had the urge to do an Alice-excited-clap. "You're nearly there, sweetheart. Cull…"
"…C'll."
"Len."
"…L'nnn."
Oh, my God my teaching methods are working. "Yaaay!" I clapped my hands happily, which he copied with a large, toothy smile. "Can you say 'Cullen'?"
Draco was still smiling. "…a-lullen." He spoke quietly, like he was shy.
"Good boy! Can you say 'Draco Cullen'?"
"A-drahcolullen."
Eeeeh! I nearly burst with excitement and I wanted to sing and dance and shout from the rooftops and get everybody to hear him. Oh, my God I could… aaah I felt so much pride! And now I sounded like Alice, which scared me slightly, but…oooh it was so exciting. Look what I did! I taught him his name! Now he just needs to learn how to do the 'Time Warp' and he is all set for life.
I wanted to ring Edward right now and tell him, but no, it had to be a surprise. "Your name is Draco Cullen. Can you say it once more for mummy? Draco Cullen."
"Drrrr-aco Lullennn."
I will not scream. I will not scream. I will not scream.
Oh, who am I kidding?
Later that afternoon, I put the penguin movie 'Happy Feet' on for Draco to enjoy and I got down to some essay writing. Well, I tried to, anyway. First of all, I freaking love this movie – you can't beat dancing penguins – and secondly, Draco dancing alongside Mumble, Gloria and all the others is far too cute and entertaining. I snapped a picture on my phone which showed him getting right into the dancing and loaded it up onto Facebook with the caption: 'Someone has Happy Feet.' I tagged Edward in the picture, so he has a collection on his site.
Draco stamped his feet, copying Mumble as best he could, and spun around giggling and clapping at his own achievement. I left the room for five minutes to take a trip to the bathroom, and returned to find something cuter than the scene before. I know, I didn't think it was possible either! The movie had been forgotten about and Draco had taken my phone hostage and was holding it up to his ear, mumbling away to himself like he was actually on the phone. I didn't have to worry about him actually phoning someone, because I had set a password and even if he had somehow unlocked it, I doubt a two-year-old could work an iPhone.
"Who are you talking to?"
Draco stared at me, and then held out the phone. "Ed-ded."
Did he say… Edward?
I guess the number of times I'd say Edward's name in a day would stick in Draco's mind – remember how quickly he picked up piss and dick? – I'm just interested in knowing if Draco knows who Edward is. Surely, he'd only know him as daddy…
"Are you talking to Edward?"
"Yea!" He put the phone back to his ear and continued to murmur.
"Who is Edward?"
"BYE!" He threw my phone to the floor and shuffled on his behind over to my feet. "Mummy…"
I pulled him to my lap and cuddled him tight, rocking us from side to side for a minute. "Who is Edward, sweetheart?" I didn't get a response, so took the photo frame from the table to our right and held it in front of us. The photo was Edward carrying Draco on his side and pretending to bite his little fingers. Draco had a large smile and a sparkle in his eyes. "Is this Edward?"
"Nooo!"
That wasn't the response I expected. "It's not? Who is this?"
"…Da-daddy Lullen a-a Drah-co Lullen."
Okay, okay. Cutest moment right here. Why didn't I record it?
"You are a very, very clever boy and I love you so much." I kissed his crown loudly.
"Mummy?"
"Yes?"
Draco smiled sheepishly and pointed at me. "Mum-mumm-mummy Lullen…"
Would I be correct in saying that he's a bit too young to learn the finer details?
For now, I'll just stick with being a 'Lullen'.
xxx
Edward
Whoever said that size doesn't matter was clearly mistaken.
Because it does, without the shadow of a doubt, it fucking does. I mean, I'm a large guy. No need to brag or anything, I've been told I go for the larger size out of the options in front of me.
But do I go for Chicken Tikka or Meatball Marinara?
Subway is the devil's incarnate when it comes to deciding the filling.
And it has to be a foot long, 'cause, like I said, I'm a large guy.
I'll definitely need this Subway goodness in my veins for what I'm about to do. I swear, even Houdini or some fucking dare devil wouldn't attempt what I'm going to do. Okay, I'll fill you in. See, I've pulled some strings and managed to get tomorrow off work – normally I only do this for days that Draco is home so I can spend quality time with him, but he'll be at daycare all day and, as long as Bella doesn't have any plans, we'll be alone… I want to show her how dedicated I can be to something – I didn't exactly have the best reputation for treating girls with respect at high school. All day, I had been thinking about all the 'charming' things I could do to show my respect… and maybe, in time, get into her pants… but that will be a last resort… maybe.
Come on, dude, stop being a girl and put your poor junior to use.
Moving swiftly on, I'm going to attempt to ring Charlie (yes, Chief fucking Swan) and see if he could distract Bella for the day whilst I make a nice meal for her… or… I dunno – I didn't get that far into my planning. The thing is I've never phoned Charlie, not even for the slightest thing, but I had his number on my phone because Bella wanted us to be 'good parents' and have the contact details for all of Draco's grandparents. I just have to relocate my balls and go head first into the metaphorical fire.
"Hello?" Holy shit fuck, he sounds fucking terrifying.
"Er, hi Charlie, it's Edward." Yeah, 'cause you don't sound like a quivering little girl or nothing. Shut the fuck up.
"Edward? Are you alright?"
"Oh I'm fine, I was just wondering whether you could do me a favour?"
"A favour? I don't have to bust you out of jail do I, son?"
"Oh! No, nothing like that! Do you think you could distract Bella somehow tomorrow?" I highly suggest rethinking my words before I speak them.
"And why do I need to distract her?" I swear it's like that story of the ferocious lion cornering a trembling mouse. I am, of course, said mouse.
"Ha! I should have mentioned that first, eh?"
"Yes."
Gulp.
"I would like to make Bella a nice meal or do something appreciative, but I would prefer it to be a surprise, and if she's out of the house, it would be a surprise."
"That is genuinely the idea of a surprise, Edward."
Okay, why is he acting like such a dick? I'm trying to do something nice for his daughter, c'mon man, give me some respect, yeah?
Fuck, I hope I didn't just say that out loud.
"Er, indeed" (does that sound cheeky?) "so… do you think you could do that?"
"I'll think about it."
Oh, for fucks sake.
"Okay… er… thanks."
We ended our conversation at that moment; I considered working my charm on a chick behind the counter at some off market and buying some alcohol underage – 'cause you need some liquid confidence after dealing with that shite. However the last thing I need is to get caught and have a conversation with Charlie all over again, but this time I'd be in a jail cell. Hence why I indicated out of the lay-by and drove home to see my boy.
xxx
There is no superior sight than the sight of a toddler, dressed in Superman pyjamas, running straight towards you and screaming your name because they're happy to see you. Draco flung himself at my knees and wrapped his arms around my legs like a boa constrictor. Shit dude, I may need my legs later on in life. Bella sauntered over slowly, with a content smile, taking in our reunion with a sense of awe floating in her eyes. We said our 'hello's through simple smiles and went back to greeting our son.
"Raaaaah!" I threw Draco into the air and caught him tight to my chest, blowing raspberries against his cheeks until he squealed in delight. "Did you miss me, buddy?"
"Yyyyyea…"
"I missed you too." He played patty cake with my cheeks, and giggled when I puffed them out.
"Draco, are you going to show daddy what you learnt today?" He turned his attention to Bella and shot her an expression which pretty much read: 'the hell are you on about, mother?' "Can you say, Draco Cullen?" We both stood in anticipation, waiting to hear whether he could repeat the words or not. I prayed for the former. To hear him announce my surname would fill my heart with pride. He stared at his fingers and smiled as they wiggled.
"Can you say Draco Cullen?" Maybe he'll respond to me instead.
"Ah-ah-ah-ayco… Lullen."
If I smiled right now, it would definitely mark the skin. I kissed his cheek loudly and repeated how much I loved him and how proud of him I was. I mean, he fucking said Cullen! He can now identify himself as part of our family.
"Daddy?"
"Yeah, buddy?"
He covered the tip of my nose with his palm. "Da-daddy Lullen, a-a-a mumm-mummyyy Lullen."
It surprised me how he could link our names together. How he understands that 'Cullen' (or, Lullen) is a way to separate families; that he knew we were related and the names 'mummy' and 'daddy' meant something special. Well, it seemed that way to me. I could be talking a load of shit.
After we praised Draco for how well he had done today and once Bella had asked me whether I wanted any dinner (I declined, that foot long is still digesting itself) I took Draco upstairs, assisted in him cleaning his little teeth, told him a very short story and sat by his bed for a while as he dosed off to sleep. Whatever they had been doing today had taken its toll; he was out like a light within minutes.
Bella was on the phone to Charlie when I went back downstairs. She ended their conversation with a: 'will do. See you at nine then. Bye dad, love you.' Ooh, that sounded promising…
"So, how was work?" She lay back on the couch alongside me, twisting her head to the side to face me.
"Urgh." I groaned into my hands. "Some people can't seem to grasp the concept that their car is a piece of fucking trash and it would be kind to let it go into the nearest junk yard instead of practically fighting me over driving it. But, on the up side, I have the day off tomorrow."
Bella gasped, sitting straight upright. "You do? How did you manage that?"
I shrugged, "meh, I pulled a few strings."
"And you have Friday off as well?"
"Yup! Pretty sweet deal, ain't it?"
"Wow, that's brilliant Edward. We should have planned a day out or something, but I'm afraid I have to help Charlie paint his shed tomorrow. If I knew you had the day off I wouldn't have accepted it."
Painting his shed? Bella must be seriously gullible if she bought that shit without a second thought. "Not to worry, Bella, I'm so tired I'll probably want to catch up on some much needed sleep anyway. What with a day without the tiny tear-away."
She laughed delicately, "I know exactly what you mean. I'll be taking Draco to daycare and then going to help Charlie at nine, so you can have all the peace and quiet you want from eight-thirty."
"Sounds outstanding." I grinned, knowing all too well that I won't be relaxing…
xxx
Next day
Bella
The last time I had this much paint covering me, I couldn't have been any older than six. I painted a shed – I wouldn't even call it a shed; a large cardboard box sounds more appropriate, however even then, I finished with decorative splodges on my face, hands, arms, knees, feet and even my ass – I sat on the lid… but now I can go home, have a nice soak in the bath have an enjoyable evening with my boy and maybe even see if Edward could go to the diner to pick up dinner for us. He sent me a text saying not to worry about picking Draco up, because he had it sorted, I thought it was cute he wanted to pick his son up from daycare.
Walking through the front door, I expected to see the clear signs of Edward spending the day at home with nothing to do – dirty dishes by the sink, dirty laundry flung around the place; the usual – but an odd sense of calm washed over me instead. There was a strong smell of something floating around; someone nice – played with your taste buds a little. Edward walked through from the living room with a large smile on his face. We had a quick conversation discussing how our days had been and just about pushed me towards the bathroom. "Where's Draco?" I asked, finally noticing he hadn't come running up to me; it was too early for him to be in bed already.
"You just enjoy your bath, Bella."
Hmm… I smell something fishy…
xxx
Edward knocked on the door before I finished my bath; I pulled myself reluctantly from the comforting water, wrapped a fluffy towel around my body and opened the door. He didn't say anything, just passed me a tall champagne glass with something pink and fizzy inside. Looking at it closely, I saw a strawberry bobbing on the surface. "What's this?"
"Pink champagne..." Duhh Bella…
"How did you get this?" Does he have a fake ID I didn't know about?
"That doesn't matter. Just enjoy it."
Yes, Sir!
He's up to something… and right now, I'm not sure whether to like it or not.
xxx
A pile of my clothes had been left outside the bathroom when I exited; a note that said 'put me on' had been put on top. I followed Edward's instructions, still confused over the whole scenario and noticing that same smell that I smelt on entering the house, this time it was stronger and made me very hungry indeed. I wasn't sure how Edward picked out these clothes, but however he did it, he did it well. A sleek black, strapless dress with a white ribbon under the bust and stops just above my knees (very casual, nothing too formal) this was matched with plain black leggings and a white cardigan.
Sweet music floated from downstairs in the living room – I couldn't tell you the title or composer, but it was classical either way. Edward must have heard me coming down the stairs, so ran to meet me at the bottom. He had changed into a crisp black suit I never knew he had and even ran a comb through his hair – I know! I couldn't believe it either!
"Draco is spending the night with my parents."
Oh, my goodness. I knew he wasn't in the house, but away for the whole evening? Is that even necessary?
"Wow... what-why… huh?"
Edward just smirked and asked me to follow him into the dining room, opened the door and revealed a real heart-warming sight. All the lights had been turned off, and the only light came from tea lights and other candles which burnt away sweetly in different parts of the room. The table had been set for two. The whole thing was beautiful.
"I thought I would treat you after everything you've been doing and had to go through recently. So I hope you'll take me up on my offer for dinner…?"
How could I turn him down?
"I'd love to."
xxx
A/N – Shit ending, but trust me, you'll want to read the next few chapters… ;)
So, how did you pronounce your name when you were little? I called myself Doddie Yoghurt, 'cause I'm cool…
RosieRathbone
xx
